Gotta Have Faith

Faith in veterinarians, that is. Something foremost in my mind again, because of a couple of comments/emails lately. One from a woman inquiring about raw diet and feline hyperthyroidism who said something to the effect of “I feel like I learn everything from an [internet forum] and you guys, and then have to turn around and teach my vet!”

I’ve sometimes felt the same. For years, I just blindly followed the vet’s advice. They went to school for years to learn just how to care for my cat, right? Well, that was pretty naive of me. First of all, we all know professionals in every industry imaginable that just aren’t that good at what they do. Ergo, there must be veterinarians who aren’t the best as well – and how do we, the lay people, know whether our vet is the best or the worst or just somewhere in the middle? If we’re not proactive and do some of our own research, we’re relying entirely on their “bedside manner”.

Secondly, vets generally get a four-year Bachelor’s degree in biology, then attend four years of veterinary school. Do we really think they can learn absolutely everything about every animal species in four years? Really? As I often say, I’m sure I have less than 5% of the knowledge of most vets – I know next-to-nothing about any animals other than cats. (Cows are the ones that say “moo”, right?) I know little about feline parasites and next-to-nothing about surgeries and probably can’t name more than one or two bones in their little furry bodies and struggle with most terms, and have to think (hard) to remember which end is proximal versus distal.
However, I’ve spent hundreds of hours researching a very few things. So, I know a LOT about that less than 5% of knowledge I’ve got. I know a LOT about feline diabetes, feline pancreatitis, kidney disease, gastro-intestinal disorders (particularly IBD), hyperthyroidism, and of course – nutrition. Your average vet takes an introductory animal nutrition course, which focuses on feed animals (cows, swine, chickens, etc.) and has maybe ONE chapter on companion animals (dogs, cats, etc). If you’re really lucky, your vet’s school may have offered an elective course on companion animal nutrition, and he or she opted to take it, and though it was funded by a pet food company, the content was pretty good.

Anyway, I’m off on my cat food tangent again. My point was that while I hope we give vets credit where credit is due, they took a lot of courses and have practiced and generally deserve respect. They don’t deserve blind faith. If your vet’s advice makes no sense to you, it’s not a disservice to them and certainly not a disservice to your cat(s) to do your own research. It’s even okay to seek a second opinion. While you can’t rely on everything you read (on the internet or elsewhere), I think the vast majority of us should be capable of reading some information, considering the source (are they selling something? is it in a peer-reviewed journal? is it written by someone with references/citations to back them up?), and do some critical thinking. I have similar issues, by the way, with anyone that answers a question I pose with a statement without any references to back them up. I’m sorry, you may be Albert Einstein, but I’d like to see you point to a study or scientific document that backs up your statement. If not it better be something I can observe with my own eyes, because otherwise, I’m so sorry but I’m not going to just decide it’s factual because Jonny or Joan Blogger said so.

Another thing? If someone makes a statement or paraphrases a study to back up their beliefs – do yourself (and your cats) a favor and read the actual study. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen “experts” declare that you must do “x” and refer to a study – and they are either quoting a piece of the study totally out of context, or even misquoting it entirely. I know it’s more work to do some research then to just take information spoon-fed, but it’s worth it.

Of course, none of this applies to what I write – just do as the Lintee Bean says. I’m always right. *wink*

So, as for my own veterinarian(s) – for general practice, I generally ask for one of two veterinarians at the clinic. I’ve worked with those two and am comfortable with them. For one, they generally know better than to even bring up food for my cats. They know I make most of my cats’ food and I’ve put a ton of thought and research into it, and my cats’ health has improved dramatically on their diet. So, they do not recommend any of the prescription stuff in a bag or even mention it to me. They also understand that any time I’m given a goodie bag, I’ll open it right there in the exam room and will pull out and return anything that doesn’t meet my standards (and once that meant having an empty bag, which I returned as well as I’ve no need for an empty plastic bag).

The vet I see most often also admits he doesn’t know everything. I don’t expect him to know everything, and he doesn’t pretend to know everything, and I think that makes for a better relationship. I’m sure he’s annoyed when he starts talking about some medication and my eyes start rolling around in their sockets (I really need to learn to control my eyeballs) before he’s finished. However, he acknowledges I’ve done research and have my strong opinions and he’ll listen to my concerns/objections and we’ll find an appropriate plan for my cats together.

So, do I have faith in my vets? Yes, to some extent – but it’s not blind faith. What I do believe is that we’ll work together we’ll do the best we can for my cats – and it’s a two-way street. It requires effort on my part as well as my vets.